The Croatian city of Dubrovnik has over 300 dogs, desperately waiting for a municipal shelter to be constructed. This is two years after the recently appointed mayor promised that the shelter would be operational in less than 12 months.
The dogs are currently cared for at the Žarkovica Animal Shelter, but this shelter sits on a mountainside just outside the city, without access to legally supplied electricity, water or structural integrity. The shelter lies on a UNESCO heritage site and the mayor is expressly forbidden from providing the proper infrastructure that provides these critical amenities.
David Barritt from animal welfare organization, Network for Animals (NFA), said: “These dogs need our help. Shelter manager, Sandra Sambrailo, and her team are forced to hike up steep mountains, carrying food and water every day for 300 hungry dogs. And more dogs are coming all the time.”
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NFA pays for a worker to help Sandra and, pays for spay and neuter programs and for emergency medical care for the dogs.
“We’ve been doing this for three years. We will not rest until this new shelter is up and running. In the meantime, we pledge our unconditional support to Sandra and the Žarkovica Animal Shelter, but we can’t do that without the donations. It is that money that helps us make a difference,” said Barritt.
Sandra is “hanging on by a thread” because she is not as young as she used to be, and the weather is getting harder to bear. However, there is some good news to come out of this endeavor. Mayor Frankovic has found land to build the shelter and has commissioned architects to design it.
“The Mayor has handed the project to us. Our experts are going to help make sure it meets the goal of making it one of the best shelters in Europe,” said Barritt.
“We’re working really hard. We will help the mayor with the shelter construction, and we will continue to help Žarkovica in any way we can. We will always do whatever it takes to help animals in need,” said Barritt.
You can find out more about Network for Animals and our efforts in Croatia by clicking here.
